Restoration Appreciation
Embracing our Legacy
Discover the rich heritage of the Restoration Movement at Great Lakes Christian College as we host our annual Restoration Appreciation Week. This inspiring gathering brings together students, alumni, and friends of the college for thought-provoking lectures, meaningful fellowship, and a renewed vision of unity and reform in Christ’s church. You are warmly invited to join us for this celebration of faith, history, and mission.
Restoration Appreciation Week 2026
Tuesday, October 13 – 11:00 am – Doty Center
TBD
Friday, October 16 – 11:00 am – Doty Center
Dr. Heather Gorman
NT Scholar
Friday, October 16 – 12:00 pm – Legacy Cafe Meeting Room
Lunch and Q&A with Both Speakers
“Restoration Appreciation” is a compilation of lectures from the first six years of Restoration Appreciation Week. It has been edited for reading and includes suggested discussion questions for use in small groups, Sunday School classes, and other conversations. This is a valuable tool for churches to remind their congregations about the rich history from which they come.
Past Restoration Appreciation Weeks
2025
October 28 & 31, 2025
Dr. Frank Weller
“Two Paths to Unity”
Frank Viola
“A Collision of Temples: God’s Restoration Work Continues”
2024
2023
2022
October 18 & 21, 2022
Dr. Esther Hetrick
“Harmony by the Book: Restoration for a New Generation”
Dr. John Mark Hicks
“Defining Marks of the Church: Acts 2:42 and Restorationism”
2021
2020
2019
October 15 & 18, 2019
Dr. Ron Peters
“The End of Christian Colleges and the Future of the Restoration Movement
Dr. Keith Keeran
“P.H. Welshimer – The Conscience of a Movement
2017
October was the month we hosted our second annual Restoration Appreciation Week. It was an Acts 2:42 kind of week with teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer.
During chapel on Tuesday and Friday, we were blessed with excellent presentations by Jordan Kellicut (LEFT), minister of the Oakland Dr. Christian Church in Portage, MI and Dr. Paul Kissling (RIGHT), professor at Lincoln Christian Seminary, followed by table fellowship and discussion with both speakers Friday afternoon.
On Tuesday evening, we were encouraged by an all-campus devotions on unity led by Colton Wesley and followed by koinonia in the dorms.
On Wednesday evening, we celebrated with festive food and engaging activities that exposed students to the three branches of the Restoration Movement, followed by an informative and thought-provoking Q&A session with alumni servant leaders Pam St. Louis, Jared Gates, and Regan Clem.
Jordan Kellicut opened our eyes to Barton W. Stone’s apocalyptic conviction that Jesus inaugurated a new age in world history and will indeed return to consummate his reign. Jesus turned the world upside down and calls us to a life of fervent worship and evangelistic zeal. Jordan called us to imagine with Stone what it might mean for us to be “a united, unwaveringly devoted Christian Church whose eyes are only for Jesus and whose passion is singlemindedly focused on His renown.”
Paul Kissling reminded us that the task of restoration is not done and that a movement founded in Scripture must ever reform its understanding of Scripture. He highlighted our struggles to do so, our unique potential to do so, and four concrete proposals for doing so faithfully today. Paul concluded with this challenge: “If we are embracing the movement, this continuing reformation, we must become people soaked in Scripture and use the Scripture-based energy to tell the story and live the story.”
As with last year’s presentations, GLCC will be putting together a pamphlet that will be available in hardcopy and electronic forms. Visit our Restoration Appreciation page on our website for ePamphlets and video links.
These events are not just for our students. They are for GLCC family and friends! So begin making plans to join us next October! – Dr. John Nugent, Professor of Theology